Fix: Can’t Add Friend On Origin

Playing games with friends almost always feels better than playing alone. This is especially true of multiplayer titles, which is one of the main reasons for downloading platforms such as Origin.

For those unfamiliar with this app and its purpose, here is what you need to know.

Origin is an online digital distribution platform owned by Electronic Arts. It is similar to Steam, Battle.net, and some other competitors in this field. It has been available since 2011 and boasts millions of active users daily.

Despite Origin being successful, it isn’t flawless, and one of its more frustrating errors prevents users from adding people to their friend list. We will provide the solutions to that problem in this guide.

The Problem Explained

Before you can invite someone to play a game with you on Origin, you need to have their profile added to your friend list. When Origin’s services function as intended, this process only takes a few seconds.

Regrettably, that is not always the scenario.

Sometimes, this Origin error prevents users from adding others as friends, which has the consequence of preventing them from playing together.

This can be particularly frustrating if you agree to purchase the same game as your friends, with the intention of playing it together, but then can’t due to the Origin problem.

This issue has upset many users, leading to them sharing their concerns on websites such as Reddit. However, there was still no official response from Origin staff.

On the good side, this problem is not difficult to fix. However, the solutions aren’t very obvious, which is why most users might not come up with them alone.

Fix 1: Run Origin With Administrator Privileges

Before trying any other methods, we recommend running Origin as an administrator. Doing this can fix most Origin issues without wasting any unnecessary time.

To run Origin as an administrator, right-click on the desktop icon and select Run as Administrator.

Even if this doesn’t immediately solve the issue, we recommend starting Origin this way each time you use it. This includes when you apply the other methods listed below.

Fix 2: Switch To Offline Mode, Then Restart Origin

A user on Reddit said that this method works. Check out the discussion.

This solution might seem simple, but it can help you to regain the ability to add friends on Origin, which is your main priority if you want to participate in a multiplayer session.

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Open the Origin client on your PC.
2. Click the Origin menu and select Go Offline from the list of options.
3. Once you have entered offline mode, exit the Origin client. Open Task Manager and end any Origin-related tasks to ensure it is no longer running. 
4. Start Origin again but make sure you do it as an administrator.

You should now be able to add and see friends on your list. This method has helped many users but if it doesn’t work for you, move on to the other fixes listed below.  

Fix 3: Clear The Origin Cache

This is an easy-to-follow fix that won’t take much of your time, but it can help with numerous Origin errors, including the one preventing you from adding other users to your friend list.

To clear Origin’s cache, follow the steps below:

1. Close Origin if it’s already running on your PC.
2. Press Windows + R on your keyboard.
3. In the window that appears, type in “%ProgramData%/Origin” without quotation marks.
4. Press OK to start the search.
   
5. In the folder that opens, delete everything except the folder called Local Content. After deleting the files, close the window.
6. Press Windows + R again.
7. In the command box that appears, type in “%AppData%” without quotation marks. Press OK at the bottom to begin the search.
   
8. The “Roaming” folder will open automatically. Delete the Origin folder here. Then in the address bar, click on AppData, open the Local folder, and delete the Origin folder here as well.
   
9. Restart your PC and run Origin with administrator privileges once your system has fully booted up.

You have now successfully cleared Origin’s cache. The error preventing you from adding users to your friend list should no longer occur.

For more details on clearing your cache for any Electronic Arts software, as well as a guide on how to do it on other operating systems, check out this official post on EA’s website.

Fix 4: Reinstall Origin

Reinstalling Origin can help you overcome many issues. As it is easy to do, we recommend trying this fix if none of the other solutions have helped you overcome the friend list bug.

There are two options to accomplish this, as mentioned in this official EA article. We suggest the simple method, which involves using the “Apps and Features” section in Windows, previously known as Control Panel.

If you are an advanced user and want to uninstall using the slightly more complicated method, follow this official step-by-step guide from EA.

After uninstalling Origin, you can download the latest client version from the official website and install it again.

Conclusion

You now know how to fix the problem preventing users from adding people to their Origin friend list. Platforms such as Origin and Steam feel incomplete when their social features don’t work as intended. That is why quickly solving this issue is very important.

If you need any additional support with Origin, don’t hesitate to contact the official support team for further help and guidance.